how to set up my essay in mla format

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MLA 9th Edition

How to format your paper, sample mla papers, additional resources.

• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited Page Format
• Works Cited Examples
• Back to Citation Guide

Title Page Setup

Title page requirements.

On the top, left-hand side of the first page of your paper write:

• Your Professor's Name
• Your Course Name and Number
• The Date of your Paper written in day, month year format (see example below)

Kevin Bacon

Professor Brown

English 1010

10 November 2023

Beneath the information listed above write the title of your paper, centered on the page, using standard capitalization rules for titles, and do not bold or italicize your title unless you are including the title of another work that would otherwise be italicized. Standard MLA capitalization rules include capitalizing the first and last word in the title and all "important" words.  This excludes articles (a, an, the, etc.), conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.), prepositions (as, of, to, between, against, etc.), and "to" when used as an infinitive, unless they begin or end the title.  

The Use of Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities

After the title begin the text of your paper, making sure it is left-aligned and that the first line is indented.

Note on group papers:

If you are writing a group paper, MLA suggests creating a separate title page at the beginning of your paper with the same information listed above.

**Check with your professor to see if they want a different title page set-up. Title page set-up may vary depending on the preferences of your professor.**

Running Header

Starting with your first page, add your last name followed by page number (e.g., Chen 2) at the top right corner of the page in the header. 

If you are writing a group paper, start your header on the second page of your paper after the title page. Add all students' last names followed by the page number at the top right corner of the page. If all last names do not fit in a single line in the header, you may just include the page number.

To add running headers in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

• Open the "Insert" tab in the top application window
• Click "Page Number", hover over insert on "top of page" and select preset option "plain number 3," which will insert automatic page numbering in the top-right corner of each page
• Next to the page number, type your last name and add a space
• Select the entire text of the header you just created and change the font size and style to match that of the rest of your paper (usually Times New Roman font size 12)
• Click "Close Header and Footer" to continue writing and/or editing the rest of your paper

Add 1 inch margins on all sides.

To add 1-inch margins in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

• Open the "layout" tab in the top menu
• Open the "Margins" option on the left of the menu
• Select the "Normal" preset option to add 1" margins on all sides and pages of your paper

Text Size, Style, and Spacing

Font style & size.

Unless specified by your instructor, MLA recommends choosing an easy-to-read typeface set to 11 pt, 12 pt, or 13 pt. This includes:

• Times New Roman

To set the font style and size using Microsoft Word on a PC device:

• Select all text in your paper
• In the drop-down menu of font styles in the "font section" of the "Home" top menu tab find and select an appropriate font
• In the number drop-down menu next to the font style, type or select an appropriate font size

Line Spacing

Double-space your text.

To make your paper double-spaced in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

• Click the "paragraph settings" button in the bottom right corner of the "Paragraph" section in the "Home" tab of the application menu
• In the pop-up menu that appears, in the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find "line spacing" and change it to "Double"
• Check the box next to "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style
• Click "Okay"

MLA Headings should be

• Center-aligned
• Written in 12pts font
• Double spaced above the first line of the paper or essay

Works Cited Page

Your works cited page should...

• Start on a new page at the end or your paper or project
• Have "Works Cited" written at the top-center of the page
• List all sources referenced throughout your work in alphabetical order by author last name (or title if there is no author or creator)
• Use 0.5" hanging indents for all references longer than 1 line of text

To add hanging indents to your works cited page in Microsoft Word on a Windows device:

• Select all of your citations
• In the pop-up menu that appears, in the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find "Special" under "Indentation" and change it to "Hanging"

See Purdue OWL's  Sample MLA Works Cited Page  for an example of how your works cited page should look.

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MLA 9th Edition Formatting

A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide + Free Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewer: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | July 2023

Formatting your paper in MLA style can feel like a pretty daunting task . In this post, we’ll show you exactly how to set up your paper for MLA (9th edition), as quickly and easily as possible. We’ll also share our popular free MLA template , to help you fast-track your writing.

Overview: MLA 9th Edition Formatting

• Structure and layout
• General page setup
• The opening section
• The main body
• Works cited (reference list)
• Free MLA 9 template

MLA Structure and Layout

Let’s start by looking at the overall structure of a typical student paper formatted for MLA 9th edition, before diving into the details of each section. For the most part, MLA papers follow a standardised structure, consisting of the following parts:

The opening section : While MLA doesn’t require a dedicated title page (unlike APA ), it does require an opening section that details some important information about yourself, your university and the paper itself.

The main body : The main body begins directly after the opening section on the first page. This is the “heart” of your paper and there are a very specific requirements regarding how you present and format this content.

The appendix (or appendices):  While using an appendix in a student paper is relatively uncommon, you’ll place this section directly after the main body section, if required by your university.

The “Works Cited” list : This section is equivalent to what we’d usually call a references page and it’s where you’ll detail all the reference information corresponding to the in-text citations in the main body of your paper.

These four sections form the standard structure and order of a student paper using MLA 9th edition. As we mentioned, not all sections are always required , so be sure to double check what your university expects from you before submitting. Also, it’s always a good idea to ask your university if they have any  style requirements in addition to the standard MLA specification.

Now that we’ve got a big-picture view of the typical paper structure, let’s look at the specific formatting requirements for each of these sections.

Generic Page Setup

Before you jump into writing up your paper, you’ll first need to set up your document to align with MLA’s generic page requirements. Alternatively, you can download our MLA paper template (which comes fully preformatted).

MLA 9th edition requires a 1-inch margin on all sides , for all pages. That said, if you’re writing a dissertation, thesis or any document that will ultimately be printed and bound, your university will likely require a larger left margin to accommodate for physical binding.

Fonts & sizing

MLA does not require that you use any specific font, but we do recommend sticking to the tried and tested , well-accepted fonts. For example, you might consider using one of the following:

• Sans serif fonts : Calibri (11), Arial (11), or Lucida Sans Unicode (10)
• Serif fonts : Times New Roman (12), Georgia (11), or Computer Modern (10)

Whichever font you opt for, be sure to use it consistently throughout your paper . Don’t chop and change, or use different fonts for different parts of the document (e.g., different fonts for the body text and the headings). Also, keep in mind that while MLA does not have a specific font requirement, your university may have its own preference or requirement. So, be sure to check with them beforehand regarding any additional specifications they may have.

In general, all text throughout your document needs to be left-aligned and should not be justified (i.e., leave an uneven right edge). You might consider using a different alignment for section headings, but in general, it’s best to keep things simple .

Line spacing

MLA 9th edition requires double line spacing throughout the document . There should also be no extra space before and after paragraphs . This applies to all sections of the paper, including the “Works Cited” page (more on this later).

Page header

Last but not least, you’ll need to set up a running header for your document. This should contain your last name, followed by the page number. Both of these should be positioned in the top right corner of all pages (even the first page). On a related note, there’s no need for you to include any footer content unless your university specifically requests it.

Now that we’ve looked at the generic formatting considerations, let’s dive into the specific requirements for each section of your paper.

The Opening Section

While MLA-formatted papers typically don’t require a title page, there are very specific requirements regarding the opening section of the first page .

Here’s how you can set your first page up for MLA 9th edition.

• On the first line, write your full name (flush left)
• On a new line, write your professor or instructor’s full name
• On a new line, write the course code and course name
• On a new line, write the full date spelt out (e.g., 15 June 2023)
• On a new line, write the full title of your paper , centre-aligned and using title case (consider using a title case converter if you’re not familiar with this)
• On a new line, begin your body content

All of the above should be in plain, unformatted font – in other words, you don’t need to apply any boldfacing, underlining , etc. That said, you should use italics whenever you’re writing out the titles of other works (for example, titles of books or articles).

To make it all a little more tangible, below is an example of a first page formatted according to the MLA specifications that we just covered.

The Main Body

While the formatting requirements for the body section are relatively light for MLA (at least when compared to APA ), there are still quite a few important things to pay attention to. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Each of your paragraphs needs to start on a new line , and the first sentence of each paragraph requires a half-inch indent (while the rest of the paragraph is flush left aligned). Note that each paragraph simply starts on a new line and doesn’t require an additional blank line.

MLA 9th edition is fairly flexible in terms of heading formatting. There is no specified formatting, so you can decide what works best for you. However, there are still a few basic rules you need to follow:

• All your headings should be written in title case – never use all caps
• There should be no period following a heading
• Each heading level needs to be uniquely formatted and easily distinguishable from other levels (for example, a distinct difference in terms of boldfacing, underlining or italicisation)
• You can have as many heading levels as you need, but each level must have at least two instances

Abbreviations

When using abbreviations, you’ll need to make sure that you’re using the MLA version of the abbreviation . Below we’ve listed a few common ones you should be aware of:

• Appendix: app.
• Circa: c. or ca.
• Chapter: ch.
• Column: col.
• Definition: def.
• Department: dept.
• Example: e.g.
• Edition: ed.
• Figure: fig.
• Foreword: fwd.
• That is: i.e.
• Journal: jour.
• Library: lib.
• Manuscript(s): MS
• Number: no.
• Quoted in: qtd. in
• Revised: rev.
• Section: sec. or sect.
• Series: ser.
• Translation: trans.
• Version: vers.
• Variant: var.
• Volume: vol.

If you’re interested, you can find a more comprehensive list here . Alternatively, if you have access to the MLA 9th edition handbook, you can find the full list in the first appendix.

In-text citations

MLA 9 has a very specific set of requirements regarding how to cite your sources within the body of your paper. Here are some of the most important things to help you get started with MLA citations.

Author-page number system: in-text citations consist of (at a minimum) the lead author’s last name, followed by the page number of the paragraph you are citing. There is no comma between the two components (only a space).

Types of citations: MLA allows two types of in-text citations: parenthetical and narrative . Parenthetical citations feature the author and page number in parentheses (brackets) at the end of the respective sentence. Here’s an example:

MLA 9th edition is easy to grasp if you visit the Grad Coach blog (Jansen 13).

Narrative citations, on the other hand, weave the author’s name into the flow of the sentence and then present the publication date in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Here’s an example:

Jansen states that MLA 9th edition is easy for students to grasp if they visit the Grad Coach blog (13).

In general, it’s a good idea to utilise a mix of both in your writing. Narrative citations are particularly useful when you want to highlight or contrast authors or their viewpoints, while parenthetical citations are useful when you want to strengthen your own academic voice. In other words, both formats have their respective strengths and weaknesses, so try to use citation format strategically in your writing.

Quotations: when quoting text verbatim from a source, there is no need to do anything differently in terms of the citation itself, but do remember to wrap the verbatim text in quotation marks. Here’s an example:

Jansen proposes that MLA 9th edition is “easy to grasp if you visit the Grad Coach blog” (13).

Multiple authors: when citing resources that were authored by three or more people, you only need to list the lead author, followed by “et al.”. Here’s an example:

MLA 9th edition is easy to grasp if you visit the Grad Coach blog (Jansen et al. 13).

 Below are a few more examples from our free MLA template .

Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of all the MLA 9th edition citation-related requirements – just a shortlist of the most commonly relevant ones. If you’d like to learn more, consult the MLA handbook .

The Works Cited (Reference List)

The final section that you’ll need to pay close attention to is the “Works Cited” page, which should contain a list of reference information for all the sources cited in the body of the paper. Again, MLA has a quite a meaty set of specifications regarding the content and formatting of this list, but we’ll cover the basics here to get your started on the right foot. 

Basic setup

Your reference list needs to start on a new page and should be titled “Works Cited”. The title should be unformatted and centred . The reference list should then start on the next line. As with the rest of your document, you should use double line spacing throughout.

When it comes to the reference list itself, you’ll need to keep the following in mind:

• All the sources that you cited in the body of your document should feature in the reference list. Make sure that every citation is accounted for .
• The references should be ordered alphabetically , according to the lead author’s last name .
• The exact information required within each entry depends on the type of content being referenced (e.g., a journal article, web page, etc.)
• Components that may need to feature (other than the author) include the title of the source, the title of the container, other contributors, the article version or number, the publisher, the publication date, and the location.
• All references should be left-aligned and should use a hanging indent – i.e., the second line of any given reference (if it has one) should be indented a half inch.

We have to stress that these are just the basics. MLA 9th edition requires that your references be structured and formatted in a very specific way , depending on the type of resource. If you plan to draft your reference list manually, it’s important to consult your university’s style guide or the MLA manual itself. This leads us to our next point…

In general, it’s a bad idea to write your reference list manually . Given the incredibly high level of intricacy involved, it’s highly likely that you’ll make mistakes if you try to craft this section yourself. A better solution is to use (free) reference management software such as Mendeley or Zotero . Either of these will take care of the formatting and content for you, and they’ll do a much more accurate job of it too. 

If you’re not familiar with any sort of reference management software, be sure to check out our easy-to-follow Mendeley explainer video below.

Wrapping Up

In this post, we’ve provided a primer covering how to format your paper according to MLA 9th edition. To recap, we’ve looked at the following:

• The structure and layout
• The general page setup
• The “Works Cited” page (reference list)

Remember to always check your university’s style guide to familiarise yourself with any additional requirements they may. Also, if your university has specified anything that contrasts what we’ve discussed here, please do follow their guidance . 

If you need any help formatting your paper for MLA 9, take a look at our “done for you” language editing and proofreading service . Simply send us your document and we’ll take care of all the MLA formatting intracies on your behalf. 

Very well recounted!

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MLA Formatting and Style Guide

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The MLA (Modern Language Association) format is the writing and documentation system used primarily in the Arts and Humanities. Like any referencing system, the MLA outlines the specific ways to number your pages, create your title page, and establish headings, in addition to citing material from other authors. Always check with your professor to find out how closely he or she wants you to follow these guidelines. For complete guidelines for MLA format, as well as for specific issues not covered here, see:

MLA Handbook. 8th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2016

• General Formatting Notes
• The First Page of Your Essay
• Parenthetical Citations
• Formatting Quotations
• Works Cited Page

1. General Formatting Notes

• Use 8.5 by 11 inch white paper.
• Print on one side of the paper only.
• Set all the margins (top, bottom, and sides) to 1 inch.
• Use a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman) and type size (e.g., 12 point).
• Double space the entire text of your essay (including the information on the first page, block quotations, and the Works Cited page).
• Do not include a separate title page (unless specifically requested by your instructor).
• Include your last name and page number on the top right-hand corner of every page. Use a header and ensure that your name and page number are 0.5 inches from the top and flush with the right margin.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
• Leave one space after punctuation.

2. The First Page of Your Essay

• Include your name, instructor’s name, course code, and date 1 inch from the top of the first page and flush with the left margin on separate double spaced lines.
• Type and centre your title using regular font formatting (no italics, bold, or quotation marks) after the date. Use title case: only capitalize the first letter of important words.
• Indent 0.5 inches from the left margin and begin the body of your essay.

The first page of your essay should look like this:

English 101

December 1, 2007

Postcolonial Adventures in Shakespeare’s Othello

The politics of postcolonialism did not begin in the 1960s. Many of the same concerns and issues we see in contemporary postcolonial literature and criticism are present in Elizabethan drama. A good example of an Elizabethan play that…

3. Parenthetical Citations

When you use MLA style, use parenthetical citations to acknowledge other people’s work. Each of the parenthetical citations in your text is “keyed” to an alphabetical list of texts (the Works Cited page) included at the end of your essay. A parenthetical citation includes the author’s last name followed by a space and the appropriate page number or numbers.

(Last name #)

You must include a citation after every quotation or paraphrased idea from another source. There are three different ways to provide the necessary information for a citation in MLA style. In all three options, you need to include both the author’s name and a page number. The following are examples of the different ways to cite your source in MLA style:

a) Use a direct quotation and mention the author in the sentence

Weedon argues that the “power of fiction lies in its ability to construct for the reader ways of being and of understanding the world” (144).

b) Use a direct quotation in the sentence

Contemporary feminist critics insist that the “power of fiction lies in its ability to construct for the reader ways of being and of understanding the world” (Weedon 144).

c) Paraphrase and mention the author in the sentence

Weedon promotes the idea that fiction is a powerful political tool that helps readers understand their place in the world (144).

In each of the examples above, the reader knows that the relevant information can be found on page 144 of a text by Weedon. The reader can consult the Works Cited at the end of the essay to get more information about the source. In the Works Cited, the reader would find the following entry:

Weedon, Chris. Feminist Practice & Poststructuralist Theory. Basil Blackwell, 1987.

Parenthetical Citations for a Print Source with No Known Author

If you have a source with no known author, the parenthetical citation should include a shortened title in place of the author’s name.

The trade international trade in waste electronics is illegal under the terms of the Basel Ban (“Briefing Paper” 2).

Parenthetical Citation for a Classic or Literary Work with Multiple Editions

When citing classic or literary works which have multiple editions, additional information should be included in the parenthetical citation. The parenthetical citation should still contain the page number, but also the abbreviation for volume (vol.), book (bk.), part (pt.), chapter (ch.), section (sec.), or paragraph (par.), as appropriate.

W. E. B. Dubois argued that “the color line” continued long after the American Civil War ended (16; ch. 2).

Parenthetical Citation for Authors with the Same Last Name

When using works by authors with the same last name, include the first initial for both author’s first names.

Gender performance can be understood as a series of actions that produce the illusion of a stable gender identity (J. Butler 12).

Lilith is saved by an alien species called the Oankali (O. Butler 14).

If the authors share a first initial, use the entire first name of both authors.

(Ove Butler 14), (Oliver Butler 43)

Parenthetical Citation for a Source with Multiple Authors

If you have a source with three or fewer authors, list all the authors’ names. If your source has three or more authors, use the name of the first author followed by “et al”. See the examples below.

a) Two authors: Paraphrase information and mention their names in the sentence

Hand and Sandywell demonstrate the importance of the internet to the information economy (198).

c) Multiple authors: Paraphrase information in the sentence

The use of manga to teach safety in some universities in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand showed that students were more able to identify hazards and hazardous behaviours (Kumasaki et al 591).

Parenthetical Citation for Multiple Sources by the Same Author

If you are using multiple sources with the same author, include an abbreviated title to indicate which work you are referencing. The examples below show how to use a parenthetical citation for multiple books by the same author.

a) Multiple sources by the same author paraphrased or quoted in two sentences

Halberstam considers how masculinity can be performed by male and female bodies (“Female Masculinity” 2). In a later work, Halberstam shifts her focus to notions of “queer time” (“In a Queer Time” 1).

b) Multiple sources by the same author paraphrased in one sentence

Both male and female bodies can perform masculinity (Halberstam, “Female Masculinity” 2).

Parenthetical Citation for an Indirect Source

An indirect quotation is a source quoted by another source. Use the abbreviation “qtd. in" to indicate an indirect quotation. See the example below.

Discussing human responsibility for environmental problems, Baichwell notes “we have to live with the uncomfortable ambiguity of our role” (qtd. in Bozack 71).

Parenthetical Citation for Multiple Sources

If you are referencing multiple sources, separate the works with a semi-colon in the parentheses. The example below illustrates how to cite multiple sources.

… as many theorists have noted (Razack 23; Malkki 389).

4. Formatting Quotations

Short quotations.

Are you using a quotation that is less than four lines long in your essay? If yes, put it in double quotation marks and incorporate it into the text of your paper. Provide the parenthetical citation immediately following the quotation.

All punctuation, except question marks and exclamation marks, should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation marks that appear in the original source should be within the quotation marks. Consider the following example:

Pi emphasizes that the most dangerous animal in existence is “the animal as seen through human eyes” (Martel, 34). This is in contrast to what the Pi’s father thinks. Pi’s father created a zoo exhibit that asks visitors, “DO YOU KNOW WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL IN THE ZOO?”, the exhibit contains only a mirror (Martel, 34).

Long Quotations

If you include any quotations that are over four lines long, type them into a block quotation, indented 1-inch from the margin, double spaced, and without quotation marks. Block quotations are typically introduced by a colon. Place your parenthetical citation after the final punctuation mark of the quotation. Consider the following example:

The narrator highlights the importance of setting in the novel through her detailed description of the area around Kitamaat. She begins her story by providing a visual map of the terrain where most of the action in the novel occurs:

Find a map of British Columbia. Point to the middle of the coast. Beneath Alaska, find the Queen Charlotte Islands. Drag your finger across the map, across the Hecate Strait to the coast and you should be able to see a large island hugging the coast. This is Princess Royal Island, and it is famous for its kermode bears that are usually white. Princess Royal Island is the western edge of traditional Haisla territory. During land claim talks, some of this territory is claimed by both the Haisla and Tsimshian nations – this is called an overlap and is a sticky topic of discussion. (Robinson 4)

Note: When using a block quotation, do not indent the first line of the quotation; however, if the quotation includes a new paragraph, the new paragraph should be indented.

Quoting poetry.

If you are quoting a single line of verse (or less), place it in quotation marks and incorporate it into the text of your essay.

If you quote two or three lines of verse, you must separate each line with a forward slash [ / ], place the passage in quotation marks and incorporate it into the text of your essay. When you use slashes to separate lines of quoted verse, be sure to put a space before and after the slash. If your quotation includes a stanza break, use two forward slashes to indicate the break. Include a parenthetical citation for the author (unless the author’s name is in the text of your essay immediately before the quotation) and for the line number(s) of the poem. Consider the following examples:

a) Quoting less than one line of poetry

The persona of Plath’s poem is “poor and white” (3) and feels claustrophobic. She has “always been scared of” (41) her father.

b) Quoting three lines of poetry

Sylvia Plath’s poem “Daddy” opens with a metaphor that conveys the speaker’s sense of claustrophobia. She compares herself to a “black shoe / In which I have lived like a foot / For thirty years” (2-4).

c) Quoting two lines of poetry with a stanza break

Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” has no set rhyme scheme; however, the poet uses assonance and end rhyme to create sound patterns that hold the poem together. The “oo” sound is particularly prominent: “Barely daring to breath or Achoo. // Daddy, I have had to kill you” (5-6).

If you are quoting more than three lines of verse, you should type them into a block quotation indented 1 inch from the left margin. Block quotations of poetry should accurately reproduce the line breaks, spacing, and punctuation found in the original. Do not use quotation marks for block quotations unless they appear in the original. Your parenthetical reference should appear at the end of the last line of poetry. If the parenthetical reference cannot fit on the last line of poetry, place it on the following line, flush with the right margin of your essay. The following is an example of a blocked verse quotation:

In his poem “i have found what you are like,” Cummings uses unconventional line breaks and syntax but traditional images and rhyme patterns:

deeds of green thrilling light

with thinned

new fragile yellows

lurch and press

– in the woods

sing (8-16)

Here, Cummings uses pastoral imagery combined with fragmented syntax to…

Quoting Drama

If you are quoting the words of a single character in a prose play, follow the guidelines for a standard prose quotation. If you are quoting the words of a single character in a verse play, follow the MLA guidelines for quoting poetry.

a) Quoting the words of one character in a verse play

Some of Lear's greatest insights come when he discusses metaphysical issues with Kent and the Fool. For example, when these three characters take refuge from a storm in a hovel, Lear notes that "When the mind's free / The body's delicate" (3.4.11-12). He elaborates on this point by observing that the "tempest in my mind / Doth from my senses take all feeling else, / Save what beats there" (3.4.12-14). This metaphor suggests . . .

If you are quoting dialogue between two or more characters, you should type the passage into a block quotation indented 1 inch from the left margin. Characters’ names should be in capital letters followed by a period and then followed by the text as it appears in the original. Subsequent lines of the character’s dialogue should be indented an additional amount. When the dialogue shifts to another character, start a new line indented 1 inch from the left margin. Follow this pattern throughout the block quotation. As with all block quotations, do not include quotation marks unless they appear in the original.

b) Quoting the dialogue of two characters in a drama

Some of Lear's greatest insights come when he discusses metaphysical issues with Kent and the Fool:

LEAR. Let me alone

KENT. Good my lord, enter here.

LEAR. Wilt break my heart?

KENT. I had rather break mine own. Good my lord, enter.

LEAR. Thou think’st tis much that this contentious storm

Invades us to the skin: so ‘tis to thee;

But where the greater malady is fixed,

The lesser is scarce felt. (3.4.3-9)

Adding or Changing Words in Quotations:

If you need to add a word or change a word in a quotation, you must indicate this by placing square brackets around the words that are not part of the original text. Consider the following example:

Jones argues that "the voting structure of the [United Nations] Security Council" renders it incapable of resolving international conflict (45).

The words "United Nations" were added here to clarify the argument; the square brackets indicate that they were not part of the original text.

Omitting Words in Quotations:

If you omit words from a quotation, you must indicate this by using ellipsis marks (…). Ellipses must be used any time you omit material from a quotation that appears to be a sentence or a series of sentences. Consider the following example:

Original Text: "Every space is filled with life: delicate, poisonous frogs war-painted like skeletons, clutched in copulation, secreting their precious eggs onto dripping leaves. Vines strangling their own kin in the everlasting wrestle for sunlight. The breathing of monkeys. A glide of snake belly on branch. A single-file army of ants biting a mammoth tree into uniform grains and hauling it down to the dark for their ravenous queen." (Kingsolver 5)

Quotation with ellipsis: Kingsolver addresses the reader in second person, telling her to imagine a violent forest "with . . . frogs . . . secreting their precious eggs…[v]ines strangling their own kin…[and] ants . . . hauling [a tree] down to the dark for their ravenous queen" (5). (from Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. HarperCollins, 1999.)

5. Works Cited Page

Your MLA-formatted essay must have a Works Cited page that begins as a separate page at the end of your essay. The basic formatting features of the Works Cited page are as follows:

• Use same 1 inch margins and same last name and page number header as the rest of the essay.
• Centre the title “Works Cited” in standard font formatting (no italics, bold, or quotation marks) on the first line of the page.
• Double space everything; do NOT put extra lines between entries.
• Capitalize every word in the titles of texts except articles, prepositions and conjunctions.
• List entries alphabetically.
• End each citation with a period.
• Use italics for the titles of independently published works like books and journals.
• Use quotation marks for the titles of texts published as part of collections like poems and articles.
• Use a hanging indent (second and following lines of each entry indented 0.5 inches) for each entry.

The MLA uses a list of core elements for the Works Cited Page which are common to most works. This is the list with the punctuation that follows each element:

• Title of source.
• Title of container,
• Other contributors,
• Publication date,

An element that is not applicable to the source being documented should be omitted.

Common Entries in a Work Cited Page

The following are common entries likely to be used by undergraduate students writing research essays. For more details or other, less common entries, consult the MLA Handbook.

1. Book with One Author:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Publisher, Date. Smith, John. Great Dogs of North America. Dog Press, 2003.

2. Book with Two Authors:

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Title of Work. Publisher, Date. Gaiman, Neil, and Terry Pratchett. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. HarperTorch, 2006.

3. Book with Three or More Authors:

Last Name, First Name, et al. Title of Work. Publisher, Year.

Evans, Julie, et al. Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies. Manchester UP, 2003.

4. Journal Article:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of article.” Title of Journal , volume number, issue number, date, page range. Smith, John. “Great Labradors.” Dogs Illustrated. Vol. 14, no. 3, 1994, pp.12-50.

5. Work in Anthology or Edited Collection:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Work , edited by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date, Page Range.

More, Hannah. “The Black Slave Trade: A Poem.” British Women Poets of the Romantic Era, edited by Paula R. Feldman, Johns Hopkins Press, 1997, pp. 472-482.

6. Entire Anthology or Edited Collection:

Last Name, First Name, editor. Title of Work. Publisher, Date.

Weisser, Susan, editor. Women and Romance: A Reader. New York U. Press, 2001.

7. An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword:

If you are citing an introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, you must name the author of the text and the name of the part being cited. Do not italicize or put quotation marks around the part being cited.

Last Name, First Name. Part of book. Title of Work , by Last Name, Publisher, Date, Page Numbers.

Allan, Stuart, et al. Introduction. Environmental Risks and the Media , by Allan, et al. Routledge, 2000, pp. 1-26.

If the author of the part being cited is different from the author of the text, include the complete name of the author.

Last Name, First Name. Part of book. Title of Work, by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date, Page Numbers.

Beck, Ulrich. Foreword. Environmental Risks and the Media, by Stuart Allan, et al., Routledge, 2000, pp. xv-xiv.

8. Book by a Corporate Author:

Corporate Author. Title of Work. Publisher, Date.

Canada Research Council. Canadian Business in 2010. Academic Publishing House, 2007.

9. Government Publication:

Governmental Author. Title. Publisher, Date.

United States, Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud. Department of State Publication Bureau, 1997.

10. Article with No Author in Reference Book:

“Entry Name.” Title of Work. Edition, Publisher, Year.

“Postmodernism.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 1998.

11. A Review:

Last Name, First Name of the review author. “Title of Review (if applicable).” Review of Title of Work, by First Name Last Name. Title of Periodical, day month year: page.

Cole Susan. “Sly Fox.” Review of Mr. Fox , by Helen Oyeyemi. Now Magazine, December 2011: pp. XX.

12. Published Conference Proceedings:

Last Name, First Name, editor. Title of Conference. Conference Date, Conference Location, Publisher, Date of Publication.

Rudner, Stuart, E., editor. Employment Law 2010: Proactively Managing Legal Risk in Challenging Times, 29 September 2009, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Osgoode Professional Development, 2010.

13. Film or Movie:

Film Title. Directed by First Name Last Name, performances by First Name Last Name, Name of Studio or Distributor, Date.

Trouble Every Day. Directed by Claire Denis, performances by Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, and Beatrice Dalle, Canal +, 2001.

14. Film or Video Recording:

Name of Film or Video Recording. Directed by Director First Name Last Name, performances by Important Actors’ Names, Distributor, Release Date.

It’s a Wonderful Life. Directed by Frank Capra, performances by James Steward, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Michell, RKO, 1946.

15. Recorded Television Episode:

“Title of Episode.” Title of Collection of Recordings, written by First Name Last Name, directed by First Name Last Name, season number, episode number, Name of Distributor, Date of Distribution, disc number.

“Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer Complete 1-7 Box Set, written by Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali, directed by Davide Semel, season 1, episode 5, Fox Home Entertainment, 2004, disc 3.

16. A Work of Art:

Includes a painting, sculpture, or photograph.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Date of Compositions, medium of the piece, Name of Institution, City.

Thomson, Tom. Evening, Canoe Lake. 1915-1916, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

If the name of the city is part of the institution name (e.g., Art Institute of Chicago), it is not necessary to include it as a distinct element in your citation.

Online Sources in a Work Cited Page

Here are the common features you should look for when you are citing online sources:

• Author and/or editor names
• Article name
• Title of website, project, or book
• Version numbers, editions, revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers
• Publisher name and publishing date
• Page and paragraph numbers
• URL, DOI (Digital Object Identifier), or permalink
• Date you accessed the information

If possible, provide each of the following pieces of information about the online source you are citing:

Author and /or editor names. “Title of Document.” Title of Website. Any version numbers including editions, revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers. Publisher information, including publisher and publishing date, page or paragraph numbers (if available), URL (without https://), DOI, or permalink, Access Date.

The MLA recommends that you include URLs or DOIs (Digital Object Identifier) in your Works Cited list. If you can, cite the DOI assigned to an online publication instead of the URL.

The Access Date is now considered an optional element of MLA style citations. However, it should be used if required by your professor and can by useful when the online work lacks a publication date.

If you are using peer-reviewed authoritative sources, most of this information should be available. If information, such as the publisher or the date, is missing, you may find a reliable external source and include the information in your citation in square brackets. Otherwise, it may be omitted.

1. Course or Departmental Website:

Department Name. University Name, Publishing Date. URL. Date of Access.

English Department. University of Toronto, 6 December 2011. www.english.utoronto.ca Accessed 21 December 2011.

Last Name, First Name. Name of Course. University, Date of Publication. URL. Date of Access.

Brym Robert and Lesley Kenny. Introduction to Sociology 101Y, University of Toronto, December 2011, projects.chass.utoronto.ca/soc101y/brym/. Accessed 5 December 2011.

2. A Work of Art:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Date of Creation. Institution, City. Name of Website. URL. Date of Access.

Thomson, Tom. Evening, Canoe Lake. 1915-1916. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Art Gallery of Ontario. ago.net/agoid69248. Accessed 23 November 2011.

3. Document from Online Academic Journal:

Last Name, First Name. “Article’s Name.” Title of Journal. Volume number, issue number (or Date of Publication): page numbers, if any. URL or DOI. Date of Access.

Zeki, Semir. “Artistic Creativity and the Brain.” Science, vol. 293, no. 5527, 2001, pp. 51- 52. Academic OneFile, doi:10.1126/science1062331. Accessed 18 Aug. 2017.

4. Document from Online Scholarly Journal That Also Appears in Print:

Last Name, First Name. “Article’s Name.” Title of Journal. Volume number (or Date of Publication), page numbers. URL or DOI. Date of Access.

5. Article from Online Dictionary or Encyclopedia:

Ross, Don. “Game Theory.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta. Plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-theory. Accessed 1 Oct. 2002.

6. An Entire Internet Site:

Name of Editor, Author, or Compiler of Site. Title of Website. Version Number. Name of Institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation, if available. URL. Date of Access.

Brawley, Lisa and James F. English. Postmodern Culture. University of Virginia, 2000. pmc.iath.virginia.edu. Accessed 1 Oct. 2002.

7. An Online Book:

Author’s Name. Title of Work, name of editor, compiler, or translate. Title of Website (including date of electronic publication, name of sponsoring institution, revisions, if available). URL. Date of Access.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice, edited by Henry Churchyard. Jane Austen Information Page, 1996. www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html. Accessed 6 Sept. 2002.

More resources for citations and research

Do you want to discuss your research paper? Book an appointment with an Instructor: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/appointments-undergraduate.

Check out these resources to get more help and information on citations and research:

• Reference and Research Help – University of Toronto Mississauga Library https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/ReferenceUTML/ReferenceUTML
• Citing Sources – University of Toronto https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/citing
• MLA Formatting and Style Guide – Purdue Online Writing Lab https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Looking for more learning strategies? Visit us at: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/.

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Home / MLA Sample Paper

MLA Sample Paper

Mla sample paper #1.

If you’ve been wondering how to produce a research paper that is strong in both formatting and writing, you’ve come to the right place.

Check out our first sample paper below. It is a helpful and clearly labeled visual aid to refer to. Note that while these sample papers do not include MLA abstracts , you should check with your instructor to see if an abstract should be included.

Visual Sample Paper

The example research paper below is one that was written in college for a course on the Inklings. The Inklings were a group of writers in England before WWII, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The abbreviated MLA paper below (linked here without annotations) is about J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and how the author used myth, story, and song to link all of his works together. Tolkien is famous for creating a fantasy universe called Middle-earth, which readers can’t truly understand until they read all of the books about Middle-earth ( The Silmarillian, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings ).

Since we’re here to learn how to format an essay, we’ve pointed out some important things about the paper to help you write a correctly formatted essay.

For starters, the essay is in MLA format. That means it follows the style manual of the Modern Language Association, which tells you how to format the paper itself and every source you cite. You’ll also see notes like how long a paragraph should be, how to use commas properly, and how to correctly punctuate a title. Some of these guidelines are different from those in APA format , so be sure to confirm you are using the correct style in your paper.

Pay special attention to the MLA format works cited. We only used one type of source (books), but both citations are correct according to the 9th edition of MLA, published in 2021. When you’re writing your own paper, you need to make sure you always use the most recent edition of the style manual. You’ll also want to check with your instructor to see if you need to include an MLA annotated bibliography with your paper, which contains additional information summarizing and evaluating each source after the regular citation.

Whether you need MLA, APA citations , or Chicago style notes, look up the latest edition before turning in a paper.

MLA Sample Paper #2

See below for an example paper or click below to download it as a Word Document.

The MLA header should be one inch from the top and left margins. The heading and the entire paper should be double spaced.

Eli YaffarabeProfessor Rapheor

28 August 2018

Privatization of Prisons in Texas

              The privatization of governmental services has increased dramatically in the past decade as local, state, and federal agencies have searched for ways to cut costs while still meeting their mandated responsibility to provide various public services. This privatizing trend has particularly affected the criminal justice system. Since the early 1990s, privatized correctional facilities have increased significantly, nationally and statewide. This policy has far-ranging consequences not only within the criminal justice system, but as an instructive example for government officials when considering the costs and benefits of privatization as a public policy option. By 2001, thirty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had privately-operated correctional facilities (Austin and Coventry 4). This movement has incited considerable debate and controversy, mainly because prison privatization calls for giving the private sector direct control over the lives of a captive human population.

Surprisingly, there has been little objective and concrete analysis of the privatization of prisons in the United States. This is probably for two reasons: first, ideological arguments on the matter have pushed out substantive research, and second, because this trend has only recently accelerated in the U.S. and mainly on a state level. However, case studies and statistics at the state level are more accessible. With capacity for over 30,000 prisoners in 43 facilities, the state of Texas has privatized more of its prison system than any state in the nation (McDonald and Patten Jr. iv).

Yaffarabe 2

              Public policy concerning the criminal justice system has become more daunting and important in the last decade. The problems in the system are twofold: an overcrowding prison population, mainly due to “three strikes” legislation and reducing early parole; and the costs of operating prisons with this growing population (Austin and Coventry). According to the most recent U.S. Department of Justice survey, slightly over 2.2 million people were incarcerated in correctional facilities in this country in 2003. In comparison, in 1993, 1.37 million people were imprisoned in this country (Beck and Harrison 1).

At the same time, the growth of privately operated correctional facilities has increased significantly in this country. Private prisons now hold 95,522 inmates in this country, which is 6.5 percent of total prisoners (Beck and Harrison 5). In Texas, 16,570 inmates (10 percent of its prison population) are held in private facilities, about 10,000 more than the next highest state. Furthermore, six states had at least 25 percent of their prison population housed in private prisons, led by New Mexico (44%), Alaska (31%), and Montana (29%). These current statistics show that while state governments have been forced to manage and operate overcrowded and over-capacity prisons at considerable costs, many have turned to the private sector to operate prisons (McDonald and Patten Jr.). According to the General Accounting Office, prison operating costs have grown steadily since 1980, increasing almost 550 percent since 1980 based on inflation-adjusted dollars (Austin and Coventry 1).

Prison privatization started in the early 1980s, ostensibly to ease the burden on taxpayers by offering financial relief to private companies to run state prisons. Thomas Beasley founded Corrections Corporation of America in 1983, “the nation’s leader in the construction and management of private prisons” (Darling). That year, Corrections Corporation of America set up the first privately-operated prison in Tennessee. Since then, the number of private

Yaffarabe 3

correctional facility firms has grown to 14 (Austin and Coventry 3). The privatization of prisons occurs in two ways. First, state government can contract out (or outsource) specific services in a correctional facility to a private company after a bidding process. Second, and more radically, private companies build their own privately-managed prisons and contract with state governments to house their inmates. This latter approach, giving private correctional facility firms wide latitude over inmates, is taken in the Texas criminal justice system. In fact, many of these privately operated facilities “have no relationship at all with the state governments in these states, other than an obligation to pay corporate income taxes” (McDonald and Patten Jr. v).

(Due to its length, the remainder of this sample paper is omitted).

Yaffarabe 4

Works Cited Page

Austin, James, and Garry Coventry. Emerging Issues on Privatized Prisons . Bureau of Justice Assistance, Feb. 2001, www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/181249.pdf.

Beck, Allen J., and Paige Harrison. Prisoners in 2003 . Bureau of Justice Statistics, Nov. 2004, www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p03.pdf.

McDonald, Douglas, and Carl Patten Jr. Governments’ Management of Private Prisons . Abt Associates, 15 Sept. 2003, www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/203968.pdf.

Darling, Michael. “Pitt News: University of Pittsburgh Shouldn’t Lend Its Name to Prison Privatization.” CorpWatch , 15 Nov. 2004, corpwatch.org/article/pitt-news-univeristy-pittsburgh-shouldnt-lend-its-name-prison-privatization.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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An in-text citation is a short citation that is placed next to the text being cited. The basic element needed for an in-text citation is the author’s name . The publication year is not required in in-text citations. Sometimes, page numbers or line numbers are also included, especially when text is quoted from the source being cited. In-text citations are mentioned in the text in two ways: as a citation in prose or a parenthetical citation.

Citation in prose

Citations in prose are incorporated into the text and act as a part of the sentence. Usually, citations in prose use the author’s full name when cited the first time in the text. Thereafter, only the surname is used. Avoid including the middle initial even if it is present in the works-cited-list entry. An example of the first citation in prose for a source with one author is given below:

Doug Barry explains the status of the UK.

Parenthetical

Parenthetical citations add only the author’s surname at the end of the sentence in parentheses. An example of a parenthetical citation is given below:

The status of the UK is explained (Barry).

Examples of in-text citations

Here are a few examples of in-text citations for works with various numbers and types of authors:

Use both the first name and surname of the author if you are mentioning the author for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the author’s surname. Always use only the author’s surname in parenthetical citations.

Citation in prose:

First mention: Stephen George asserts …. (17).

Subsequent occurrences: George argues …. (17).

Parenthetical:

…. (George 17).

Two authors

Use the first name and surname of both authors if you are mentioning the work for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the surnames of the two authors. Always use only the authors’ surnames in parenthetical citations. Use “and” to separate the two authors in parenthetical citations.

First mention: Kane Williams and Clark Ronald ….

Subsequent occurrences: Williams and Ronald ….

…. (Williams and Ronald).

Three or more authors

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” For parenthetical citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

Krishnan Sethu and colleagues…. or Krishnan Sethu and others ….

…. (Sethu et al.).

Corporate author

For citations in prose, treat the corporate author like you would treat the author’s name. For parenthetical citations, shorten the organization name to the shortest noun phrase. For example, shorten the Modern Language Association of America to Modern Language Association.

The Language Literary Association of Canada….

…. (Language Literary Association).

If there is no author for the source, use the source’s title in place of the author’s name for both citations in prose and parenthetical citations.

When you add such in-text citations, italicize the text of the title. If the source title is longer than a noun phrase, use a shortened version of the title. For example, shorten the title Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to Fantastic Beasts .

Endgame explains …. (121).

…. ( Endgame 121).

In MLA style, two types of citations are used to cite a source: a short citation used within the text (called the in-text citation) and a full citation (called the works cited list entry) within the works cited list, which appears at the end of a paper.

The works cited list entry provides the complete details of a source. An in-text citation is a short citation that is placed next to the text being cited. The in-text citation lets the reader know that the information is derived from the cited source, and helps the reader find the full citation within the works cited list.

In order to properly cite a source in MLA style, you must have both citation types in your paper. Every in-text citation has a works cited list entry. Every works cited list entry has at least one (maybe more) corresponding in-text citation.

In-text citations

The basic element needed for an in-text citation is the author’s surname . The publication year is not required in in-text citations. Sometimes, page numbers or line numbers are also included, especially when text is quoted from the source being cited.

First mention: Sian Anderson studies ….

Subsequent occurrences: Anderson analyzes ….

….(Anderson)

or if quoting directly:

…(Anderson 9)

First mention: Paul Fin and Anna Gabriel ….

Subsequent occurrences: Fin and Gabriel ….

….(Fin and Gabriel)

…(Fin and Gabriel 27)

Paul Hill and colleagues…. or Paul Hill and others ….

….(Hill et al.)

…(Hill et al. 138)

Examples of works cited list entries

Below are a few examples of different types of works cited list entries. The examples given are for one author.

Steinman, Louise. The Knowing Body: Elements of Contemporary Performance and Dance . Shambhala Publications, 1986.

Journal article                                      

Barad, K. “Nature’s Queer Performativity.” Qui Parle , vol. 19, no. 2, 2011, pp. 121–58.

Webpage of a website

Midgelow, Vida L. “Experiences and Perceptions of the Artistic Doctorate: A Survey Report.” Artistic Doctorates in Europe,  5 Feb. 2018, www.artisticdoctorates.com/2017/12/28/experiences-and-perceptions-of-the-artistic-doctorate-survey-report/ .

YouTube video

“Behind the Scenes Chili’s Baby Back Ribs Spot.” YouTube , uploaded by Alvin Chea, 11 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTDLh7gNRYA .

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What is mla style.

Building confidence in the information and ideas we share with one another is perhaps more important today than ever before, and for nearly a century it has been the driving principle behind MLA style, a set of standards for writing and documentation used by writers to find and evaluate information, alert their audience to the trustworthiness of their findings through citation, and shape the expression of their ideas in conversation with others. 

Resources for MLA Style

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• Trusted : The only authorized subscription-based digital resource featuring the latest edition of the MLA Handbook is available for unlimited simultaneous users.
• Evolving : Get the same content as the print edition, plus seamless annual updates and forthcoming additional resources such as videos and companion titles.
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MLA Handbook , 9th Edition

The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook , published in spring 2021, builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements—facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date—that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The new edition offers

• New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language
• Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group projects
• Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before
• A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more
• Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources
• Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work
• Detailed guidance on using notes in MLA style
• Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism
• Annotated bibliography examples
• Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation
• Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars

The MLA Style Center offers free online resources on MLA style, including an interactive MLA format template, answers to common questions on Ask the MLA, advice from the MLA editors, and more. Get updates by signing up for The Source newsletter, and follow us on X @MLAstyle .